Risk factors for breast cancer in men

The risk of breast cancer in men increases with age. It is most common in men over 60. Breast cancer in young men is very rare.

If you have close relatives with breast cancer, you may have an increased risk of developing breast cancer. About 1 in 5 men with breast cancer (20%) have a close relative who has had breast cancer. Close relatives are sometimes called your first-degree relatives. They are your parents, children, sisters and brothers. Grandparents are your second-degree relatives. But they may also be considered by doctors asking about your family history of breast cancer.

The increased risk may be caused by inherited gene changes. Our genes store the biological information we inherit from our parents. The genes most commonly linked to an increased risk of breast cancer in families are BRCA1 and BRCA2. Men in families with the BRCA2 gene are more likely to develop breast cancer than men in families with the BRCA1 gene. It is thought that the BRCA2 gene may cause up to 1 in 10 breast cancers in men (10%).

The chance of a gene change in a family is higher when:

• a number of family members have been diagnosed with breast cancer or related cancers, such as ovarian cancer.
• the family members are closely related
• the family members were diagnosed at a younger age
• a man in your family has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

If you are worried about breast cancer in your family, talk to your GP or a breast specialist. They can refer you to a family history clinic or a genetics clinic.

Men with breast cancer may be offered genetic testing, even if they do not have a family history of breast cancer.

Men may be at risk of developing breast cancer if they have higher levels of oestrogen than normal. Increased levels of oestrogen can affect the growth of breast cancer cells.

The liver helps to balance hormones in the body. Liver damage may cause increased levels of oestrogen. This may be long-term (chronic) damage, such as liver cirrhosis. It can be caused by drinking a lot of alcohol over a long period of time.

Being very overweight can also affect oestrogen levels.

We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.

We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:

• use plain English
• explain medical words
• use short sentences
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We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.

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